I use this rig at Sebastian Inlet (east-central Florida coast) for flounder and on the state's west coast when kayak fishing. It's a version of the popular bass-fishing drop-shot rig, but mine works better for five reasons.
- The sinker costs practically nothing, especially if you use nails as sinkers.
- The sinker seldom hangs.
- The various types of sinkers I use create different noises as they crawl across the bottom and over rubble. The bead chain really rattles as it snakes over rocks.
- Sinker weight is infinitely variable.
- Changing sinkers requires slipping one sinker out of the tube and inserting another.
Build the rig using a 90-degree jig hook. Snell it to the leader so the hook juts out stiffly, 90 degrees to the line. (When I tie a snell, I never go through the eye. That keeps the line in the same plane as the hook shank.) Leave enough line below the hook so the lure swims freely. Tie a box or barrel swivel onto the end of the line. Buy some small-diameter vinyl tubing at a home-supply store and push a short piece up over the swivel. Tie the tubing to the swivel with dental floss.
Push a bead chain or other sinker material into the end of the tubing. When I'm drifting slowly, I sometimes add a tiny float about a foot above my lure to keep the rig in a vertical position underwater.
Capt. Ken Roy
Crystal River, Florida
